According to news, Egyptian authorities are holding a gas carrier with a Liberian registration after it ran aground in a sensitive environmental area in the Gulf of Aqaba. Salvage teams successfully freed the vessel and relocated it to a safe anchorage close to Safaga, Egypt, in the Red Sea.
In particular, the Claudia Gas, a vessel weighing 16,000 deadweight tons (dwt) and constructed in 1990, had finished unloading cargo at the Jordanian port of Aqaba. It was en route to Russia when the ship experienced a blackout on Friday, April 12.
Egyptian authorities were on high alert in the region due to the Eid Al-Fitr celebration marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Reports from Egyptian media suggest that the gas tanker ran aground due to propulsion failure. They indicated that the vessel could face fines amounting to tens of millions of dollars depending on the extent of damage to the marine reserve.
Divers were said to be tracing the vessel’s path to assess any potential damage to the coral reef. Minister of the Environment Dr. Yasmine Fouad stated that inspections following the incident were in progress, evaluating the impact on the coral reef and anticipated recovery rates, as well as considering potential restoration efforts.
The vessel, managed by Zeus Lines of Greece since 2020, underwent an inspection in Aqaba in February 2024. During this inspection, it was noted that some gauges were not functioning, although no detention was imposed at that time.
